Corporate law

The first four months of the year saw fewer companies closing but also fewer new enterprises being set up, a development linked to a hesitant stance from business people ahead of political developments this year.

A judicial investigation into an alleged bribery scandal involving the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis is expected to be completed on Monday, judicial sources said, amid indications that at least two of the 10 Greek politicians named in the probe are to face charges.

The ongoing investigation into Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis and the way it has been handled has caused a lot of damage to both the government and the country.

I have no doubt there was a massive and expensive orgy of mismanagement in the health sector and that bribes were paid to doctors, politicians and civil servants. 

The criminalization of libel, allegations of pushbacks of asylum seekers, corruption and violence targeting LGBTQI people and refugee women and children were the main human rights abuses recorded in Greece in 2018, according to a US State Department report.

Transparency International's new report on perceived levels of public-sector corruption says Balkan countries are seen as highly corrupt and all of them have below-average ratings.

Albania has the worst score of the Balkan states, closely followed by Kosovo and Macedonia.

Supreme Court prosecutor Xeni Dimitriou has launched an investigation after a corruption prosecutor who resigned last week suggested in a report he sent her that his colleagues and his boss mishandled an ongoing probe into an alleged bribery scandal involving the Swiss drugs manufacturer Novartis.

Corruption has always been a serious problem in Greece's political life and it looks like it will continue to exist in the country. At the same time, seeking justice for any crimes committed against the state and its people is and will always be necessary.

Corruption erodes civil morality and is the main cause of distrust of institutions, according to a AFIS study.

Attracting investment, restoring confidence and helping the economy rebound may rank high on the Greek government's agenda, but one of the factors keeping Greek assets off the radars of foreign investors - the corporate governance of local enterprises - is becoming increasingly important.

There have been a lot of wrong responses to the global and enduring problem of corruption. Many believe that severe punishment is the way to go, thus the cries for life in prison. Even though fear of punishment certainly helps, it is not a cure. In communist countries, remember, corrupt civil servants were often executed, but graft was much more widespread than in the West.